Chapter 211
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Her cheek still stung, but strangely, she felt relieved.
When Emilia returned to her room, she was slightly surprised by how little had changed. Only the broken window had been properly fixed. It seemed like no one had touched anything else since she left.
With the help of her maid, Emilia washed herself in warm water and changed her clothes. She noticed the blood on her hands, but the maid didn’t say a word.
“Hasn’t Dell returned yet?”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be back safely.”
The maid brought an ice pack. She must have seen Emilia’s reddened cheek. Emilia pressed the ice pack to her burning cheek and said,
“Could you also check on Miss Dahlia’s cheek? If it’s swollen, be sure to put some medicine on it.”
Emilia kept thinking about Dahlia’s back as she left.
❖ ❖ ❖
Mikhail got out of the carriage with Adrian. It seemed that Adrian was thinking the woman with the bobbed hair might be Emilia.
Mikhail’s gaze shifted to the room where she was staying. Seeing that the window was open, he assumed she had safely arrived at the mansion. The two of them entered the house without a word.
“Welcome. I’ll bring some tea and snacks to the sitting room.”
“Please do.”
Mikhail glanced at Kartho, who gave a slight blink in acknowledgment.
“Did the investigation go well?”
Suddenly, Emilia appeared, wearing a dress. She greeted Mikhail with a calm expression.
“If you had known the King would be joining us, you should have informed me sooner.”
“I came in a hurry, so I didn’t have the time.”
Mikhail took Emilia’s hand and kissed the back of it. His gaze lingered on her slightly swollen cheek.
Emilia turned her head slightly, hiding her cheek. Mikhail continued to fixate on her cheek.
“A good couple, it seems.”
Adrian quickly scanned Emilia’s appearance. When he saw her with her hair tied up, he furrowed his brows.
‘Did I get fooled?’
Although he didn’t fully trust Dahlia’s words, he thought there was a chance Emilia wasn’t at the Duke’s estate. The Duke’s recent behavior and his anxious demeanor made him seem unsettled.
But now, seeing Emilia right before him, Adrian felt a wave of disappointment.
“Duchess. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m surprised to see you looking so comfortable.”
Emilia awkwardly smiled. It seemed like Adrian now thought of Mikhail as Bayern. Mikhail, however, nonchalantly brushed the comment aside.
“Isn’t that what affection does? You can’t control how someone feels.”
Mikhail said this while pulling Emilia closer, his hand resting on her waist.
“It’s strange hearing the Duke say that.”
“Let’s move this conversation elsewhere.”
“Ah. Duke, I also have something to discuss with Miss Dahlia. How about we have a meal together?”
Mikhail’s eyebrows twitched at Adrian’s suggestion. Emilia lightly shook her head, but then all eyes turned toward the clear, refreshing voice coming from the stairs.
“Oh, it would be lovely if you did.”
Dahlia, smiling brightly, had come down to the lobby.
❖ ❖ ❖
Emilia looked at Dahlia.
“What on earth are you thinking, Miss?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve come to my senses. It’s all thanks to someone lifting me up.”
Dahlia said, raising her teacup.
While Adrian and Mikhail conversed in the sitting room, Emilia and Dahlia waited, sipping their tea. Despite the slap exchanged earlier, the atmosphere wasn’t as tense as expected.
“Why did you really come back? Did you inflict those injuries on my brother?”
“I can’t deny that.”
Emilia had stabbed him, yes, but the deeper wounds were from him.
“Miss, the Duke cares about you more than anyone.”
“That’s obvious. We’re family, after all.”
Emilia fiddled with her teacup.
“What do you want me to do? I can’t agree to die.”
Had she been alone, she would have abandoned everything and embraced death, but she had a family to protect now. Like Dahlia, she too had someone precious to her.
“You don’t want to die anymore, do you? Why do you suddenly want to live when you were so eager to die?”
Dahlia stared at Emilia with disbelief.
“I’m sorry. I’ve lost the ability to just die. Even if I wanted to, I can’t just die when I please.”
“Do you have feelings for my brother? You saw the newspaper, didn’t you?”
“…I did.”
She didn’t believe Mikhail was behind it.
“I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”
Emilia silently looked down at her belly for a moment. Dahlia’s eyes widened, and she jumped up from her seat.
“Not possible, right?”
“…”
Emilia didn’t respond.
“He doesn’t know. And I have no intention of letting him know.”
“Why didn’t you take the medicine I gave you?”
Dahlia brushed her hair back, looking astonished.
“I should have thought of that. It might not even be my brother’s child. I was too naive.”
Dahlia sat back down and composed herself.
*Maybe it’s better to say it’s not his child. That way, he’ll let go of it.*
Dahlia’s red eyes wavered with uncertainty.
“I took the medicine you gave me.”
“…Ha!”
That reaction seemed to amuse her further, as she looked at Emilia with a scornful gaze.
“How shameless. Coming back like this, after everything.”
“Would you please talk to the Duke? He might listen to you, being his only family.”
Dahlia made a subtle face.
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